Deadly attack on France’s high-speed rail network.
Paris, (Reuters): There has been a major attack on the high speed rail network before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in France. This has caused chaos on the railway lines. This is the situation when apart from police security, army personnel are also deployed for the security of the players who have come to participate in the Olympic Games. In such a situation, players from different countries have also become worried about their security. The Olympic Games are to be inaugurated on Friday. But before that France has been engulfed in the fire of chaos. This has spread panic among players all over the world.
It is being told that this attack and vandalism was carried out on France’s TGV high-speed train network. After this incident, chaos has spread on the country’s busiest rail lines ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony to be held tomorrow on July 27. Let us tell you that despite the extensive security operation of thousands of soldiers and police to protect the global sports mega event from any threat, every player is in panic due to this attack. The state-owned railway operator said that arsonists have damaged the signal box on the lines connecting Paris to cities like Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack was about to be carried out on the Paris-Marseille line, which was foiled.
Thousands of people were left stranded
Following the attack and vandalism, SNCF urged all passengers to postpone their journeys. Repair work was underway on the damaged items, but traffic will remain severely disrupted until at least the end of the weekend. Trains were being sent back to their departure points. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident. There was no indication whether the attack was politically motivated. French Transport Minister Patrice Vergitte told reporters at the Gare du Nord: “Everything leads us to believe that these were criminal acts.”
Explosives were used in the attack
Explosives have also been used extensively in attacks on France’s rail network. SNCF said the attacks targeted signalling installations on the Atlantic, northern and eastern high-speed lines by setting fires using explosive devices. SNCF chief Jean-Pierre Farandeau said about 800,000 passengers were affected ahead of the busy French holiday weekend. Thousands of rail workers have been deployed for repairs. But coordinated attacks on the rail network will create a sense of apprehension ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony in the centre of Paris on Friday.
Destabilizing France
“This attack is no coincidence, it is an attempt to destabilise France,” Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region, told reporters. France is running an unprecedented peacetime security operation to secure the event, deploying more than 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security agents. Snipers will also be on rooftops, drones and air patrols.
The capital has been closed off for the inauguration ceremony. Security elsewhere in the country is light.
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